With the season at the unofficial halfway mark, ToTT takes a look back at the second quarter of the Mets season:

MVP - David Wright

After a slow start, Wright picked things up in June when he batted .365 and briefly led the NL in hitting.  July has not been as kind, as he is batting a meager .180 thru the first two weeks with very little power, but he still leads the team in RBIs, runs scored and stolen bases.

LVP - Dan Murphy

Yes, he is a rookie... and yes, he is playing out of position.  Yet, the Mets 1B batted .240 in June with 1HR and 7 RBIs, with a slight up to .258 in July... Not the numbers you want from a traditional power position.

Cy Young - Fernando Nieve

It is easy to choose Johan Santana, but the surprising Nieves kept the Mets afloat by delivering 3 of the Mets 9 wins in June.

Anthony Young - Tim Redding

1 win all season, and followed a sub-par June ERA of 4.99 with a 'what the f?' 12.80 ERA in July, not getting out of the third inning in his last three starts... and actually making easy the re-insertion of Oliver Perez into the rotation.

Biggest Surprise - Fernando Nieve: After not starting in the Majors in almost 3 years, helped save the Mets June by winning a third of their games.  Has lost his last three decisions, but has still kept the team in the game in those games.

Biggest Dissapointment: Basically every game...

Injuries, hitting, pitching, defense... With the second highest payroll in baseball, Mets have been dubbed the 'Worst Team Money Can Buy'... there are plenty of legitimate excuses, but the results are also extremely below par.

For the Q1 review, click here.

With a new month underway, below are the latest ToTT US Racing Standings.  Comments only on changes from last month.

Horse of the Year

1. Rachel Alexandra (above)
2. Gio Ponti - Along with Rachel, only triple Gr-I winners in '09.  More of a #1A than #2.
3. Einstein

Three-Year-Old Male Horse

1. Mine that Bird
2. I Want Revenge / Quality Road - Pioneerof the Nile has been removed from the list, as he has been retired following an injury in training.

Three-Year-Old Filly

1. Rachel Alexandra
2. Stardom Bound
3. Justwhistledixie

Older Male Horse

1. Einstein
2. Macho Again
3. Rail Trip - Dominating win + pair of seconds has his third in shallow division.

Older Female Horse

1. Zenyatta
2. Seattle Smooth
3. Life is Sweet

Sprint Horse

1. Bribon
2. Fabulous Strike
3. True Quality

Female Sprint Horse

1. Informed Decision
2. Ventura
3. Game Face - Three graded wins in '09 makes the cut

Male Turf Horse

1. Gio Ponti
2. Einstein
3. Presious Passion - Record setting UN Stakes win, among 2 first and 2 seconds in '09, gets him on the list.

Female Turf Horse

1. Forever Together
2. Diamondrella
3. Gozzip Girl - 3 wins and a Gr-I in 4 starts has her streaking up the charts.

We will add 2yo columns once the Gr-I's start off in late summer.

It was another Jekyll-and-Hyde week for the team from Citi Field, starting off 1-3 against the Dodgers and Reds, all three losses being by shutout, before closing out the weekend with two wins in which they scored 13 runs, bringing the tally to 2-4. 

The Mets now sit at 42-45, with a season low 4th place standing and 6-1/2 games out of first, as the no-longer-struggling, first place Phillies used their feel-good sweep against the Mets to go on a 9-1 tear.  As for the lowlights:

• I apologize to the AAA affiliate Buffalo Bisons for referring to the Mets as the AAA team, as that was a put down to their abilities.  Going forward, we will change the reference to 'Spring Training Split Squad' when referring to the NYM.
• Yes, they scored a lot over the weekend, but the Reds are as bad as the Mets
• Boy, does that K-Rod make the 9th inning interesting.

I want to get mad, but I can't... It's more dissapointment.  Yes, the team stinks as currently assembled and there are too many holes to fill with a single roster adjustments, but it is hard to get angry when they have been missing 3 of 4 starts, 2/5 of their rotation and their setup man for month's.  There is no team in baseball that would be doing any better under the circumstances.  Unfortunately, it does not look like help will be on the way any time soon, even though Reyes and Delgado are set to be progressing nicely, while Billy Wagner may be ready to return next month.

On that note, we are split on the Jeff Francoeur...

 for Ryan Church trade.  On the surface, trading a younger, slightly cheaper player with similar talents and much more upside sounds great.... had it been done back in February.  In the short term, it does not address any of the team's major needs, and it feels like one of those trades for the sake of change ones.  On the flip side, nothing was lost, it can't get any worse and any benefit will be icing on the cake... We wonder was happend to Francoeur, who just a couple of years ago was on the cover of SI labeled as 'The Natural', and was driving in 100 runs while playing every game of the season.  Yet last year everything went wrong, he was demoted to the minors for a while, and batted a career low .239.  This year he has been slightly less awful, batting .250 with a pathetic .282 OBP before the trade.  Hopefully, it will be one of those rare 'change of scene' trades that actually works.

The NYM will be off until Thursday, before they open up a 6 game stretch against two teams as bad and worse than them, the Braves and Nationals.

Things got off to a rousing start yesterday in England in the July Cup, as the filly Fleeting Spirit (orange), Englands 2yo Filly Champ in 2007 and racing in only her third race in over a year, took over with 2F to go, passing front runners Main Aim and Takeover Target, then holding off late rallies by JJ The Jet Plane and Paco Boy for her first Gr-I win. 

Heavy favorite Scenic Blast never was in contention and finished seventh...  A surprise only because she has raced so little, but had always been talented, finishing second in the last two King's Stand Stakes in her last two races.  Big dissapointment of Scenic Blast, who never fired.

After the race, Takeover Target was found to have fractured a cannon bone in his leg and was retired after successful completion of surgery... The 10yo Aussie gelding goes out with 21 wins, 8 of them Gr-I, $4.8M USD in earnings and 2006 Australia Champion Sprinter honors. Even more, he was purchased for a whopping $1000 back in 2003.  Quite a return on investment.

In other news as we prep for the day's races, favorite Indian Blessing has been scratched from the Princess Rooney due to a recurring foot problem, while stallion Lawyer Ron, the 2007 Older Horse Champion, was euthanized yesterday following complications from colic surgery...

(updated 7:02pm)

Just realized my update from 2 hours ago didn't take, so let's try again... First, Gio Ponti made it three Gr-I in '09 when taking the Man O' War Stakes, coming as usual from the back of the pack to take over down the stretch and win in convincing fashion, putting down 5 other Gr-I winners in the process...

Not only at the top of the Turf division, but we're moving him to the top of the Horse of the Year standings as well...

Meanwhile in Calder's Summit of Speed, Game Face took advantage of Indian Blessing's withdrawal to go and romp in the Gr-I Princess Rooney by almost 7...

...punching a ticket to the BC F&M Sprint....

While Eaton's Gift upset champion Benny the Bull, winning his first graded win since last year's Swale Stakes in February in the Gr-II Smile Sprint, taking over at the top of the stretch then holding off Benny's late rush, and getting a slot in the BC Sprint...

Also going to the Breeder's Cup will be Yankee Injunuity, who earned his first win of the year when he edged Chamberlain Bridge to win the Arlington Sprint for a slot in the BC Turf Sprint.

(updated 7/13. 8:10 am)

In the highlight of the US's Sunday races, Rail Trip overtook pacesetter Tres Borrachos at the top of the stretch, then drew off convincingly to win the Gr-I Hollywood Gold Cup.  The win was his first graded on after back to back Gr-II seconds and in track record time... Looked like a miler but was extremely impressive at a 1-1/4M.  There is no dominant older horse out west, so he could make noise.

Staying in North America, long shot Gallant, the only horse in the Prince of Wales Stakes that did not run in the Queen's Plate, took over front running filly Milwakee Appeal in midstretch, then held off her final charge as well as late closing Eye of the Leopard, the winner of the Queen's Plate, to win by a nose in a photo finish...

And not Triple Crown up north this year either....

Moving to Europe, English filly Sariska became the 12th runner to pull the Epsom-Irish Oaks double, when she blasted by pacesetter Roses for the Lady with a furlong to go to win going away...

A showdown with undefeated French filly Stacelita, the French Oaks and dual Gr-I winner, remains for dominance of the division, but that may not happen until the fall if ever.

Stay tuned for results of the Gr-I Grand Prix de Paris tomorrow, and later previews of the Gr-II Delaware Handicap and Greenwood Cup, which are part of the BC Challenge Series, and where the winners will grab berths in the Ladies Classic and Marathon respectedly.

 Kicking things off first in England, where BC Mile winner Goldikova showed her old form by winning the Gr-I Falmouth Stakes, traveling close to the pace early then holding off a late challenge Heaven Sent and Spacious down the stretch.

Yes, only one race but against tough competition.  We'll give her the edge at the top of the older mare crop for now.

Also yesterday, two-time Puerto Rico Horse of the Year Defensora won her sixth race in as many starts this year, as she cruised against only two overmatched opponets in the local equivalent of an allowance race. 

The race was a prep for her start in the Gr-I Clasico Constitucion at month's end, where she will face her toughest race to date against '08 2yo Filly Champ Seattle Win, who this year won the Gr-I Copa Gobernador against the boys, something Defensora failed to do last year... For certain beating Seattle Win will not be a given, as the 3yo filly has won 8 of 10 in dominant fashion.

Defensora is the most dominant horse PR has seen since Vuelve Candy B ruled the track in the early 90's, when he won 64 of 86 starts (74%), finishing in the top 3 in 83 starts, becoming the first horse to win more than $1M and becoming the all time money winner in local racing, while setting their all time record for stakes win at 17.  It is very unlikely Defensora will approach 'Candy B's number of wins, let alone starts, but her 84% winning percentage is higher and at $700K, has a very good chance of surparssing his earnings mark.  Will likely have to run next year to catch the stakes record though.  The highest winning percentage though is even more unlikely, as the great Camarero set it back in the 50's when he won 73 of 77 starts (94%) while setting a world record 56 race winning streak in the process.

 Quite a few major races this wee kend in the US, starting Saturday with the Gr-I Hollywood Gold Cup.  With the Older division devoid of many dominant horses, and none racing in this Gold Cup, a full, wide-open field, composed of some looking for their biggest score and others that can be qualified as one-hit wonders, will contest the race.  The hottest one coming in is Parading, off wins in the Gr-II Dixie and Gr-III Ben Ali Stakes.  He seems in good form after a long injury layoff and may be the one to beat.  The filly Life is Sweet might be his toughest opponent, winner of 3 of 4 in '09 including the Gr-I Santa Margarita and coming in off a second place to champion Zenyatta, perhaps the best horse in the country.  In the race is also defending champ Mast Track, but who has not won since that day, placing only once in five subsequent races, so don't expect a repeat.  But a upset might come though from Bullsbay, recent winner of the Gr-III Alysheba and coming off a close fourth against tougher competition in the Gr-I Foster.  He's one to watch here.

But the race of the weekend might be in NY with the Gr-IT Man o' War Stakes.  Here, turf division leader Gio Ponti (above, winning the Gr-I Manhattan) will look to score his third Gr-I of the year and solidify his hold not only on the Turf division lead but as a leading Horse of the Year candidate as well.  But he will need to be at his best to defeat Midships (#3 in our turf standings), winner of 3 of 4 in '09 and coming off a dominating win in the Gr-I Whittingham.  A win by him, and he may take over the top spot.  But this is by no means a two horse race, as also in the field are Gr-I winners Dancing Forever... granted on a four race losing streak... and Grand Courtier.... fifth in his '09 debut after an 8 month layoff.  Although both will have to be at their best '08 form to pull the upset. The one to look out for, aside from the top two though, might be Germany's Quijano, a Gr-I winner in Italy and Germany, and who is coming off an impressive win in the Gr-I Grand Premio di Milano.  He is the German 2006 Older Horse Champion and seems to be back in top form.  Key race that will great Eclipse Award impact.

 The winner last year was England's Red Rocks, who has failed to win since and not hit the board in his two other US starts afterwards.

 Meanwhile, Calder racecourse's Summi